Inevitable Theatre's 2018-19 Season

Summary
Inevitable Theatre Company may be the new kid on the block in the world of St. Louis theatre, but we've been making theatrical magic on stages since 2007. 

In 2017, we debuted as a fresh face in St. Louis with one small production that delivered a powerful punch. In 2018-19, we are expanding our programming to include 4 productions that will gradually and deliberately develop our presence in the local arts scene. We want to grow, but we don't want to grow so fast that our practical resources are overwhelmed by our creative trajectory. This deliberate plan is financially motivated as much as it is an artistic choice. 

And that's where this crowdfunding campaign comes in...


Our Mission: 
Inevitable Theatre Company celebrates a broad spectrum of theatrical expression by producing dynamic works for the stage that engage and transform audiences and artists alike: intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

Our History:
Dallas audiences will remember our productions of Jordan, Dog Sees God, and Surface TENsion 2008.

St. Louis audiences have already gotten a powerful taste of the company's aesthetic and point of view with our critically-acclaimed September 2017 production of Stewart Permutt's Unsuspecting Susan at The Chapel in Clayton.

The play starred 2017 BroadwayWorld Award and St. Louis Theater Circle nominee, and "Judy Award" winner, Donna Weinsting in what one local reviewer called the best performance she had ever seen from this versatile, beloved actor.

Our Goal:
We are raising funds from a variety of sources, having successfully secured grants and in-kind donations from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, CenturyLink, United Way, and Drury Hotels, to name a few.

But we need YOU to help build our financial capital from individual donations to help ensure that we can properly lay the foundation for success in the coming months, and to provide evidence to other potential arts agency, corporate, and foundation sponsors/funders that we have the support from our community to sustain our mission and programming, and that our impact on our audiences has been and will continue to be significant.

Our preliminary, flexible crowdfunding goal for this campaign is $2500.

Any and all funds received by this campaign will be used to pay for professional script licensing royalties, venue rental fees, and to guarantee that we are able to pay our artists competitive wages for their valuable creative services.

These funds will also serve as compelling evidence to arts agency, foundation, and corporate funders that we have a strong enough support base to manage the production activities we are proposing to them in grant applications.


The Season

STIFF (March/April 2018):
Written and performed by award-winning Dallas actor Sherry Jo Ward (who starred in Inevitable's very first production back in 2007), this "Fast Paced Story About Moving Slow" chronicles her struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incredibly rare disease which impairs her mobility and causes her unexplained pain.

Part stand-up comedy, part PowerPoint presentation, STIFF is a "must-see" theatrical event - a unique and engaging first person account of what it means to re-assess one’s own goals and ambition when confronted with a life-altering diagnosis.

Inevitable is proud to welcome Sherry Jo Ward back to our stage by presenting the regional premiere of the Risk Theater Initiative production of STIFF, directed by Marianne Galloway. March 22-April 1, 2018 in the Kranzberg Arts Center Black Box Theater in Grand Center.

STIFF is presented in partnership with Paraquad  and generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

For a sneak preview from the 2017 Dallas production, click here:



STRIKING 12 (December 2018/January 2019):
In this "rewired" intimate musical version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" by Brendan Milburn, Rachel Sheinkin, and Valerie Vigoda, the classic holiday blues meets contemporary urban fairy tale as the old year melts into the new one. This unique musical has been at the top of Artistic Director Robert Neblett's wish list for years, so we are going to do this one with all the passion we can muster! We proudly return to The Chapel  for this holiday production - specific production dates coming soon! 

TEA AND CATASTROPHE: TWO PLAYS BY CARYL CHURCHILL (March/April 2019):  Inevitable Theatre Company proudly presents the St. Louis professional premieres of Far Away and Escaped Alone. This chilling duo of dystopian dramas by England's leading playwright, whose other works include Top Girls,  Cloud Nine, Mad Forest, A Number, The Skriker, and Love and Information. 

SIMPLY SIMONE: THE MUSIC OF NINA SIMONE (July/August 2019):
An electric new revue based on the turbulent life and rich artistic legacy of American musical icon and diva of all divas, Nina Simone. One of the true divas of the 20th century and a genuine musical powerhouse, she defined a generation and defied classification.

Silky, soulful, and untamed, her voice will put a spell on you. She’ll melt your heart, she’ll chill you to the bone. But watch out! Cross her and she'll lash back, leaving you singing the blues!

Simply Simone has already played to sold out audiences across the country from Memphis to Miami to Cleveland, winning awards from Atlanta to Houston, and now it's ready to take St. Louis by storm! 

Don't take our word for it - ask young Miami audience member Zoe Terry what she thought:  



Here's a trailer from the phenomenal 2017 Atlanta production:




The Impact
As a small theatre company with a limited administration and program budget, your gift goes so much farther than it might with a larger organization.

Even Ten Lousy Bucks can make a world of difference - that buys one month of web hosting so that we are able to maintain a robust internet presence or one book of stamps so that we can mail letters to local legislators about the power of the arts in our community or the script of a new play that we are considering producing in coming years.


Risks & Challenges
Inevitable Theatre Company thrives on challenges and believes in the power of risk. You can see this in the type of work we do and want to do, with the scope of our future plans, and the spirit of audacity that drives our vision. 

One of our biggest risks and challenges at the moment is the ability to secure grant funding from arts agencies, foundations, and corporations for a full season, when we don't have a proven long-term track record in the local nonprofit market. YET!

This is why your support is so critical at this stage of the game. If funders see that an organization has a significant base of funding from individuals like you, they are more likely to take a risk on an unfamiliar or new company, which has the possibility for us to build long-term relationships with these granting bodies.

Dollar Match: We already have pledges for approximately $5,000 from individual donations and corporate matching grant programs, but that only accounts for about 10% of our production expenses for 2018. A good income budgeting ratio for nonprofit arts groups is 30% individual donations, 30% granting organizations, and 40% from direct project income such as ticket sales.

So, if we raise at least $2,500 to match current pledges to date, even at fifty cents to the dollar, that would propel us into the season with enough money to guarantee some of our most important expenses (like performance space rental - at least the down payments - and professional licensing rights) are paid in advance, before a single ticket is sold.

Building Partnerships: Additionally, we have begun joining forces with nonprofit partners for each of the plays in the season, which will not only focus our non-production activities towards a goal of social responsibility, but also grants us the ability to grow our audience base through combined efforts on social media and collaborative communications to our respective followers.

But you have to dream it to do it...



Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute financially at this time, that doesn't mean you can't help:

Get the Word Out about Inevitable Theatre Company and make some noise about our campaign. Share the link to our campaign page with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, etc. 

Like and Follow the Inevitable Facebook page and visit our Official Website  often for news and show updates.

Join our Mailing List so we can keep you in the know with our plans, shows, and special incentives before we release that news to the general public!

Buy a Ticket to one or more our shows in the coming season, and bring a friend each time!

For Other Ways to Donate, visit our website's Donation Page to learn about direct contributions, corporate matches, eScrip, Amazon Smile, and many more ways you can help Inevitable be Incredible!